26 years without Aghdam

Twenty six years have passed since the Armenian occupation of Aghdam, one of the ancient and historical Azerbaijani regions. The Armenians invaded most of Aghdam's territory on July 23, 1993. The Armenian aggressors seized 882 sq. km. of the 1,094 sq. km. territory of Aghdam, including one city and 80 villages. Some 128,000 people became internally displaced persons and 17,000 of them are adults. The occupation of Aghdam was the third painful loss for Azerbaijan after the invasion of Lachin and Kalbajar around Nagorno-Karabakh. As result of the Armenian armed forces' attack on Aghdam the town was razed to the ground. The Armenians destroyed historical monuments, cemeteries, hospitals, libraries, schools, offices and facilities in the occupied territory. 122 villages, around 24,000 residential buildings, 48 industrial and construction enterprises, 160 schools, 65 health centers, 373 cultural centers, 1 theater, 3 mosques and 2 museums were burnt down and completely destroyed.  Over 6,000 people died during the fighting in Aghdam. About 140,000 displaced persons from Aghdam are settled in 875 settlements of 59 regions across Azerbaijan.